Its the start of my 2014 wedding season and I’m so excited about some of the lovely couples I’ll be working with and the beautiful wedding venues they’ve chosen…Eynsham Hall, Goodwood House, Great Fosters, Tewin Bury Farm, Corfe Castle, Four Seasons on Park Lane, and St Olaves in the City to name just a few.

As a destination wedding photographer, I also get to travel to some pretty amazing places – there’s nowhere I won’t go for a good wedding (try me!) – and on the itinerary so far this year is Key West, Tuscany, Marbella and Lagos in Nigeria which collectively should provide for some great adventures and some interesting new backdrops to shoot against!

As I’m all in the mood for travelling, I thought I’d share with you the images from one fabulous wedding last year in the beautiful area of Interlaken in Switzerland.  The lakes were seriously stunning, the waters crystal clear and were the perfect backdrop for Franziska and Julien’s wedding which I shot with the lovely Manuela from Mela Photography.

Putting the scenery to one side for a moment, you could tell we were in Switzerland.  Everything quite literally went like clockwork, which I guess you would expect from the masters of precision timing that they are.  The Chief Bridesmaid, Franziska’s sister, had an itinerary printed for us which was 3-4 pages long with events and key moments from the wedding planned to the nearest minute i.e. 14:37.  All the groups for the formal photographs were written up on flip-chart sheets and tied to the tree trunks so everyone knew when they were needed.  She came complete with a megaphone to round up any wanderers who might have strayed when needed, I kid you not, and she certainly wasn’t shy about using it either – hmmm, perhaps I should add one to my kit bag?

Perhaps the most amusing thing to me was the approach to the Photo Booth in the evening which was scheduled on the agenda from 8pm-9pm shortly after the main course was completed.    As a Brit and seasoned UK-wedding goer I suspected we might get the odd eager reveller at 8pm, but the rest would trickle through late into the evening, with the rate of uptake in direct correlation to the amount of beverage consumed.  How wrong could I have been?  At the stroke of eight, the Photo Booth was announced ‘Open’ and dutifully every single guest got up and formed a looooong yet orderly queue to perform random-acts of silliness with diving masks, flippers, buoyancy vests and various inflatable sea-creatures.  One after the other, they all performed on cue, even Grandma in her late 80’s who didn’t have a clue what it was all about, ‘found Nemo’ within her allotted time, and then all dutifully returned to their tables.  And that was the Photo Booth done…with ruthless efficiency like I have never seen!

In similar fashion, as soon as the band struck their first note, almost everyone was up and on the dance floor shaking their tail feathers. That awkward moment, when the Bride and Groom have done 3 twirls of their first dance and are desperate for people to join them thankfully didn’t exist!  They really went for it, all night…and in true Swiss form, didn’t miss a beat!

I had a thoroughly brilliant few days in Switzerland, getting to know the country and its people a little bit more, which is just one of the many beautiful things about this job.  With a few more destination weddings planned for this year and next, this lucky photographer is looking forward to a few more moments of cultural enlightenment and amusement!

If you’re planning on getting married overseas, you may be pleasantly surprised just how financially viable it is to take a photographer from home with you.  I charge only minimal expenses for destination weddings and would be happy to talk you through what I see are the real benefits to you.  If you’re interested in exploring the idea, Let’s Chat!